Summer of Fire
Patricia Lauber
Summary
Setting: Summer of 1988 in Yellowstone National Park
In the summer of 1988, there were many fires in Yellowstone National Park. At first,
the fires were allowed to burn. Park rangers expected that the summer would be
rainy as usual. The rain would dampen small fires. But the summer stayed dry and
the fires were growing. Many fire fighters were brought in to try to stop the fires but
they were unable to put them out. They could only try to save the important buildings
in the park. Most of the fires died out when rain and snow started to fall in
September. In the end, only one third of the park was damaged. In the burned areas,
there was new growth. This growth led to an increase in the number of birds,
animals, and other plants.